Poker-style card games have been played in gaming casinos for many years. Initially, gaming casinos provided segregated card rooms in which the poker players gathered around a poker table and played whatever game was being dealt at that table. The gaming establishment provided the dealers, handled the exchange of money for gaming chips and took a "rake" (a percentage of each poker pot) as the fee for these services. Alternatively, instead of raking from each pot, the gaming establishment would simply charge a time based fee for providing the poker game.
This type of live poker played in legalized gaming establishments such as those in Nevada is not widely accepted by the average gaming patron. Most are afraid to play due to the reputation that "card sharks" are lurking in the poker room, waiting for the unsuspecting player to come along. The poker-style game of the present invention has been created to fill a need so that the average, novice or even first time poker player can participate in a live poker game without feeling he is being hustled.
Of the live poker games currently being offered in gaming jurisdictions, only two, Texas hold-em poker and seven card stud poker, enjoy any degree of popularity and play. Texas hold-em is by far the most popular poker game because of the large number of players who can play at one time and the fast action and large pots that are generated. The game is fast because only two cards are dealt to each player, with the remaining cards being dealt to a "flop" which forms the community cards from which each player makes up the rest of his hand. Each hand, however, has a single set of community cards which all players use as part of their poker hand. Therefore, the winning hand comes from that player whose two cards best fit with the community cards.
Texas hold-em is a difficult game for the novice player to learn to play because it takes considerable study, practice and a large bankroll to become a competent player. For this reason, many novice players avoid the game or are "run off" by the more experienced players who take full advantage of their lack of skill.
The other popular game, seven card stud, is well known to the average player and is easy to understand and play. The problem with this game for the novice player is that, even at low limits, with five rounds of betting and five raises, it can cost upwards of one hundred and fifty dollars just to play one hand. This is an expensive way for new players to get an education.
As a result of this many novice players avoid playing live poker altogether in the casinos. The current player base consists of a group of regular players who dominate the games and often regard the newcomers as "fish". These regulars, who are commonly called "poker bums" concentrate their play in only the larger casinos that have specialized card rooms and are better financed to feed and support them.
In other jurisdictions this problem has been addressed by providing a variety of poker-style table games that are house banked and that are easily played and understood such as Caribbean Stud.RTM. Poker and Let It Ride.RTM.. A house banked game is a game in which the gaming establishment pays all winning hands and collects all losing hands. These games often feature progressive jackpots and have proved to be very popular with players of all types. These games however are structured as house banked games and as such are not permitted under the gaming regulations of many jurisdictions such as California and Colorado.
In those jurisdictions where house banked poker-style games are not permitted, poker-style games may only be dealt if one of the players at the gaming table is banking the game. That player takes the role of the house and pays all winning hands and collects all losing hands.
The current forms of poker currently being played for the reasons herein discussed have not been widely accepted by the average gaming patron. The poker-style card game of the present invention has been created in both its house banked version and its player banked version to fill a perceived need for the average, novice or first time player.
Additionally, with the advent of computer electronics, one player poker games played on electronic gaming machines have also become quite popular. Five card draw poker was the first poker game adapted to this format and the player attempts to achieve a high ranking poker hand from his initial five card dealt hand and any draw replacement cards he desires. A payout table is provided that pays the player various multiples of his wager depending on the rank of poker hand that the player achieves.
Since the introduction of electronic video draw poker, many other variations of poker have been adapted to electronic one player gaming machines. Joker's wild poker, deuces wild poker and five and seven card stud have all been programmed for play in this style--each with its own unique payout table reflecting the relative odds of achieving various poker hand rankings in each of these games.
The poker-style card game of the present invention is an attempt to provide a game which can be enjoyed by all classes of players including novices and less experienced players. It is designed to be played either as a stand alone pit game (such as Twenty-One or Blackjack) or in a segregated card room. The present invention is an attempt to incorporate the better features of both live table poker and electronic video poker into a single game.
The poker-style card game of the present invention can be played as a house banked game which means that the players do not compete against each other, but rather against the gaming establishment (as the players do in Twenty-One). In a house banked game, all player wins are paid by the gaming establishment and all player losses are collected by the gaming establishment.
Alternatively, the poker-style card game of the present invention can be played as a player banked game. In this version, one of the players at the table bankrolls the game and collects all losing wagers and pays all winning wagers.
The poker-style card game of the present invention can also be played as a "pot" game in the same manner as other poker games have been traditionally dealt in gaming casinos. In a "pot" game, a plurality of players sit at a common table with a dealer provided by the casino. The wagers made by each player are placed in a common pot and the player with the winning hand collects the pot.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a poker-style card game that allows each player to discard certain cards in that player's hand and then use pre-designated community cards as replacement cards to be considered part of that player's hand.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new poker-style card game that has a simplified betting structure and can be played either as a house banked game, a player banked game or a pot game.
It is a feature of the present invention that a plurality of community cards, arranged on the gaming table layout, are selectively used by the players to comprise a poker hand. Depending on which cards the player chooses, certain of the community cards are then designated as those used by the player to comprise the player's hand.
It is a further feature of the present invention to provide for an optional progressive bonus feature as part of the play of the game.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the poker-style card game uses a simplified betting structure and community cards to speed play and allow more players to compete. Additionally the progressive bonus feature allows for the thrill of higher jackpots and more ways to win.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.